The Australian Numismatic Society

A Paper given at the June 2020 online Conference

        LUDDINGTON TOKENS – TWO HOBBIES COMBINED  By Gerry Doyle

     My two main hobbies are numismatics and genealogy and have been involved with one for about sixty years and the latter
for about thirty years.

     Firstly some recent acquisitions are tokens issued by Joseph Ludington and Samuel Ludington in Lincolnshire from about
 1650-1670:

      
     Above: Farthing Token of Joseph Ludington - Obv: IOSEPH.LVDINGTON.IN around Mercer's Arms.
     Rev: THE.BALE.OF.LINCOLN around twisted wire inner circle, I L within. Ref  M. Dickinson 153.
The specification for this token is 13 mm diameter and 0.8 grams weight.

      
     Above: Halfpenny Token of Joseph Ludington - Obv: IOSEPH.LVDINGTON.IN  around Mercer's Arms.
     Rev: THE.BALE.OF.LINCOLN around beaded inner circle, I L. within.
Ref M. Dickinson 154. The specification for this token is 15 mm diameter and 1.6 grams weight.

     
     Above Farthing Token of Samuel Ludington - Obv: SAMVEL.LVDINGTON.IN around Mercer's Arms.
     Rev: THE.BALE.OF.LINCOLN around twisted wire inner circle, S L within. Ref M. Dickinson 155.
    Obverse die as Norweb 2965/6,
    Reverse die Norweb 2965? The specification for this token is 13 mm diameter and 0.8 grams weight.

     My research so far is that the THE BALE OF LINCOLN is the Bail (or Bailgate) of Lincoln. Bailgate is the most important
thoroughfare in uphill Lincoln. It forms the North South axis between the Roman North and
 South gates and is on the line of the  famous Roman road Ermine Street. At one end of Bailgate is Newport Arch, originally the
 North Gate of the Roman walled city and is now the only surviving Roman gateway in Britain still used by traffic. The other end
of Bailgate leads into Castle Hill, the medieval space which forms the setting across which the Cathedral and Castle face each
other, dating from 1072 and 1068  respectively.

     The Worshipful Company of Mercers was formed by Royal Charter in 1394. In 1911 the Mercers Arms were granted by
the College of Arms. Its motto is Honor Deo “Honour to God”.

     My second hobby led me to research the two Ludington’s who issued these tokens. My fifth Great Grandfather was Joseph
 Luddington, but I know he was a Baker and lived in Dover, Kent and lived about a century after the issue of the tokens. I have
a total of seven Joseph Luddington’s in my Family Tree database of 4552 relatives which is probably a lot more relatives than
coins in my collection.

     Joseph and Samuel were brothers. Joseph Ludington was the Sheriff of Lincoln in 1659 to 1660 and Mayor from 1675 to
1676. He died in 1687 and his will starts “I, Joseph Lo(u)dington , of the Baile of Lincolne, Mercer,  being…”. 

     Samuel Ludington was also the Mayor of Lincoln from 1660 to 1661 and again in 1683 to 1684. He died in 1684 and his
 will refers him as “one of the Aldermen of the City of Lincolne”.   

Return to Library

Return to ANS Main Page

22nd June 2020